Holland in Bloom: Committee eyes 4th year in national competition

Friday

Dec 13, 2013 at 12:06 PM

By Annette.Manwell@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4270

The city of Holland will compete for the fourth time in the national America in Bloom competition.Members of the Holland in Bloom committee, most of whom are city Parks and Cemeteries Division employees, on Wednesday told the Holland City Council they’d like to enter again.Much of what is shown to the judges on their tour — done in the summer rather than spring — are things the city already does to keep Holland beautiful, said Andy Kenyon, interim director of the Parks and Cemeteries Division.The city has competed the past three years and each year won the top honor for the city in its population category. It has been given the five bloom award all three years and also has won overall honors for tidiness, environmental efforts and heritage preservation. It’s second year into the competition, Holland was given the Circle of Champions designation for earning three top awards.Parks employee Steve Zweip said it bothers him Holland has not won the overall award for floral display. Kenyon countered that flowers, despite the competition’s name, is a small piece of what America in Bloom is about.One advantage to participating in the competition is the comprehensive report provided after the judging. It gives improvement suggestions in all six categories the city is judged on: floral displays, landscapes, urban forestry, environmental efforts, heritage preservation and overall impression.This year, Holland earned 864 of a possible 1,000 points; 850 is needed for the five-bloom rating. It earned 143 points out 175 for its floral displays, the lowest of all the categories.The city council gave its blessing Wednesday for a fourth year in the competition.“Go for a fourth, go a fifth, now you’ve got a reputation,” Councilman Myron Trethewey said, adding he was skeptical of the competition the first year.Entrance into the competition, which costs $1,100 plus the costs of hosting the judges for two days, has been fully covered by donations from the community — individuals and businesses — Kenyon said.— Follow this reporter on Facebook or Twitter, @SentinelNetty.

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